Episode 27: Run to Remember

Lisa Hallet, founder of Wear Blue: Run to Remember, speaks about how running gave her—and many of her fellow military spouses—a sense of control at a time where everything felt completely out of control. (2:17)

A look at what really goes on in our heads while we run. (Note: It is not always food related.) (41:48)

In the Kick, a surgeon challenges his 91-year-old patient to a race, the record for the fastest run across the country is smashed, and the best Halloween costumes to race in. (50:48)

Lisa Hallett

Lisa Hallett running with her group in San Francisco.

Photograph courtesy of Wear Blue: Run to Remember

Lisa Hallett had always used running as a means to cope with the constant change of military life. But in many ways, running became her lifeline after her husband, Army Captain John Hallett, was killed in Afghanistan in 2009.

In 2010, Lisa and fellow Army spouse Erin O’Connor formed Wear Blue: Run To Remember. The group began as a support system for families of deployed soldiers, and today it has grown into a nationwide network of running groups that serve as “living memorials.”

The runners—members of both the civilian and military communities—gather together to call out fallen service members names before starting a run.

The group has been a powerful force in helping Lisa—and many, many people just like her—channel her grief and move forward with her life.

We first wrote about Lisa in our February 2011 issue. Editor-in-Chief David Willey caught up with Lisa before this year’s 2016 Marine Corps Marathon, where her organization plans on leaving its mark once again.

The Blue Mile at the 2015 Marine Corps Marathon.

Photograph courtesy of Wear Blue: Run to Remember/Ingrid Barrentine

Running Thoughts

What do you think about when you run? It turns out, our random ponderings might have scientific value.

A group of researchers at California State University have been studying runners’ thoughts by asking them to talk into tape recorders as they run.

We had contributor Claire Trageser get the details on what those researchers found. But we also wanted to see how real they really were, so she reached out to a few of her fellow runners to see how their mental ramblings matched up.

The podcast is produced by Sylvia Ryerson, Christine Fennessy, and Brian Dalek.

Interviews on the podcast have been edited for length and clarity. Got a story idea for the show? Send it to rwaudio@rodale.com.

Brian DalekDirector of Content Operations, Runner’s World & BicyclingBrian has spent the last 10 years focused on creating compelling news, health, and fitness content—with a particular interest on enthusiast activities like running and cycling.

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